Sunday
by Subkulture
Summary: As a kid Gray visited a little coffee shop with his family. Soon after they died and Gray hasn't been back to the city since. Now back for school he goes to the coffee shop again, a visit that takes a pleasant little toll on his life; CoffeeShop!AU Natsu/Gray


**Sunday**

Gray stared up at the sign. It was faded until barely legible for the years of disrepair. Despite the weather-worn wood the young man could still read the words clear enough; Ellena's Coffee House.

The rest of the building looked to be in a much better state, stretching from the first floor shop to the apartment's one up. The second floor being where the owner, a Rust Finch – Rusty, to those she liked, if Gray's memory said anything, lived along with whomever she cared to hire. Made up entirely of warm colours, the building was a pleasant sight to behold. Family friendly, it had a good if not great reputation with an even better owner. An owner who had been at the helm of the establishment for almost fifty years and was still going strong. Or, she had been thirteen years ago when Gray last visited the place. Family in tow.

He gave the mahogany door a gentle push, to which a bell chimed merrily. The scent of a million spices and flavours was the first thing Gray knew upon entering the shop. Freshly crushed coffee beans; vanilla, mint, orange; tea, coffee, cappuccino; to name a few. Gray gave himself a second to breath in the intoxicating aromas before stealing a plush seat by the window. Meant to seat for, Gray enjoyed the liberty of the space.

Not long after arriving, so light were the customers, one of the workers came with pen and paper at the ready. She asked him what he'd have.

"Regular coffee, black, with eight sugar," he requested.

With eyebrows raised she gave a nod, asking him if he'd like anything on the side. There was a select range of pastries that he could have, but he declined and she left to fill out the order. She was back quick enough with a mug of deep brown liquid, setting on the table to steam.

"If you need anything else," she smiled sweetly. "I'll be around, just shout."

That left Gray in peace with a too-hot drink and a fair view of the street beyond the window pane. He resolved himself to people watching, occasionally disturbing the surface of his drink with a cool breath. This was a city, however, so people watch was hard to do. Everyone being in a hurry to get to work, to get to school, to get somewhere, to get nowhere. Those people walking turned into a faceless hoard, grey shadows not worth mentioning. Looking out suddenly made one appreciate the simplicity of being in.

Appreciation, no matter how deep it ran, did not allow Gray to repress the somber state which held him. He had come to this place because of the nostalgia that came with it. That the last time he was here was with his parents. It had been twelve years this Sunday since they had passed and today was the anniversary of their burial. The numbing day which brought reality crashing down on Gray's head. Stupid murderous thieves. Didn't keep their heads and that plus the guns held in their hands had gotten innocent people killed.

A year after that last time he'd come here with his family. Thirteen until he came here again. Time seemed to stretch long.

The bell over the door chimed at his back but he did not care enough to turn around. When the person talked he realized that he didn't have to.

"I've got the loads. Natsu, hun, get over 'ere and give an old lady a hand."

The boy in question and the owner swapped some words none too kindly, which was accompanied by a decidedly light curse from Rusty, and followed by some particularly heavy foot falls. Presumably of the body stalking away under the weight of whatever the loads consisted of.

"Brent? Brent Fullbuster?" sounded the owner once her employee was gone.

Gray's heart gave a soft pang at those words. Being called his father's name on this day of all days.

Rusty rounded the corner of his seat with a hard look. A look which softened immensely when the youth in every corner of Gray's face was seen. Not the father but the son.

"Oh! Well shit, son. I'm sorry. I thought you were- Never mind. I should have known better with Teresa not being here and all."

"It's fine," Gray said as he turned to look out the window. His tone suggested that it was not fine at all. Rusty, kindly, let the matter slide.

The woman must have been seventy years old and not wanting for mobility like most her age. She slid into the seat across from him both quickly and soundlessly.

"So, what brings you back to this ol' dump of a city? At your age I imagine it's either school or skirts. Drink your coffee son, it's cooled by now."

Gray looked down at his mug. Sure enough, the steam which had billowed a moment prior had reduced to a thin trickle. "Only school." He drank the coffee and found himself no longer opposed to Rusty's company. It was hard to do; stay mad and unwanted at a woman like this.

"Only school? Son," she scowled, "you're a looker. You'd better start chasin' them skirts or else them skirts will be chasin' you. Well what you goin' to school for anyway? Not no office job, I hope."

"No. Not an office job. It's, uh, criminology." His smile was warm as he stared down at his drink, the mug was wrapped up in tanned fingers. Though the summer was hot the shop was cool, the warmth seeping into Gray's hand felt good.

"You're headin' to the big leagues, aren't you. Just like your father."

"Brent wasn't a detective." He'd had his own carpentry company. Really small town. It was why the family had moved away from the city soon after Gray had turned eight.

Rusty chucked, nodding. "Nope. You're right there. He was no detective. But he didn't dream small neither. Was there a detective then? Someone you're aimin' to be like."

He avoided the question, holding his tongue to the roof of his mouth and looking around the shop. He watched the lady who had taken his order as she chatted with a ginger haired boy at the counter. She was full figured with golden hair. Gray appreciated her from a distance for just a minute before letting his eyes continue on, only to find the other employee. He was fit with dyed-pink hair and a t-shirt the colour of charcoal. The shirt was ill fitted, too big, too baggy, and fell over muscles very out of place in Ellena's Coffee house.

Rusty seemed to follow his gaze to the waiter. The boy seemed to be barking at the customer; who appeared to be returning the sentiments in kind. When the battle seemed to be reaching a head the owner finally took action.

The entire scene had been occurring with voices hushed which was a fact that didn't change when Rust Finch joined them. Gray watched it like one watched a silent film. She seemed to apologize to the man first, then verbally assault the worker second, and listen to the customer's tale third. Even this shop, with an owner tough as nails, seemed to follow the golden business rule – that the customer was always right. It did appear to get the matter resolved in short order. Soon the blonde was bringing over a new order for the man and Rusty was dragging her boy over in Gray's direction.

"-just what was the hell were you thinkin', boy?"

"He didn't-"

"I don't care what he didn't do. I care what he did. He changed his mind, so what? The wasted drink would have come out'a the store's profit."

The boy flinched under the flat of her palm. Not because it hurt. "Would have..." he echoed.

Rusty sighed at that, going from hard edged warrior to worried old mother on a dime. Whatever sobering was left for the boy to do happened in that second. "I like you, Natsu. You're a good kid. But poundin' restraint into you just don't seem to be worth pennies spent. Let me warn you, you're treading on some mighty thin ice. Sit, and think."

"Yes ma'am." And the matter was ended.

A quick apology to Gray after and Rusty was finding her way to her office, closing the door gently behind her.

You don't miss a good thing until it's gone; a notion that proved to be true then as much as any other time. When Rusty left so did the conversation. Though her questions had poked too deep she had been content enough to allow him to avoid them. Besides, the occasional old face did not hurt. Not that there were many faces from here that he could remember.

Rather than pondering what he had just lost, more, he focused on other things. Namely the sulking boy before him.

"Put in the corner like a bad dog. That's got to hurt the pride," Gray smirked. He took a sip of his coffee, finding the liquid too cold for his taste, and far too bitter.

"How about you shut up, squinty-eyes?"

The boy, Natsu, looked positively feral with his head down and eyes looking past his brow to shoot daggers at Gray. Instant hate. Hate that all too quickly became mutual.

"Your bad attitude is exactly why you're in the corner. Do you get enjoyment out of taking crack shots at paying customers? You little shit."

"D'you get enjoyment out of getting punched in the face?" A moment of silence. "Thought so." He nodded fitfully in his satisfaction.

"You'd get fired."

"I'm on break."

"You'd lose/"

"Try me."

"Sure. When and where?" Gray folded his arms, satisfied. Somehow both their voices had transitioned from venomous to playful in a matter of several words, likely without either being the wiser. Natsu was now rising from his seat. Gray did not mirror him. The pink haired boy was not getting up to fight.

Natsu was quick to take the seat across from Gray. The remaining waitress came over to check on Gray. He claimed everything was fine, though she looked to his abandoned drink with pure scepticism on her face. But she just shrugged that off, shot Natsu a dark look – presumably because he left her alone to tend to all the customers – and returned to her spot behind the counter.

He smiled. "I think she's mad at you."

The other looked quickly between Gray and the waitress. "You think so?"

"You mean you don't see it?"

"See what?"

Gray pressed his hand to his head in shear exasperation. Was this guy really such an idiot? That scene, apparently, answered yes.

"How do you know the boss?" Natsu asked in a rapid change of subject.

"I don't," Gray replied. "My parents did. We came here when I was young."

"Why'd you stop?" came another question, backed with innocence.

"They died."

Silence fell over them then, palpable in its thickness and broken only by a tiny 'Oh' from Natsu and the ambient noise of the coffee shop. A silence that morphed from awkward to comfortable overtime. Seconds, minutes, ten, twenty, thirty. Until Rusty came over to direct Natsu back to his work and bid farewell.

With his hand on the door Natsu was looking at Gray, who had paused on the sidewalk to return it. "I guess we're both orphans," he said. "And Lucy in there lost her mom and ran away from her dad." His tone said that running away wasn't the cowardly decision.

"Broken people seem to find each other, don't we?"

"You seem pretty damn whole to me." That earned him a smile. "Coming back again?"

Gray looking up at the building, glancing between the contrasting manicured wooden siding to the attached scabby sign. "Yeah. I might."

/

After a month of on and off visiting Gray had grown fond of the coffee shop and its regulars.

Besides the owner and Natsu there was the waitress, Lucy, who lived in the apartments upstairs like Natsu did. She was a cheery girl who worked three jobs to attend a good university. Rusty claimed to have offered to make her rent free so that the girl could drop off some of her load but the blonde had continued to pay regardless. One of the regulars happened to be Lucy's boyfriend, and another her best friend. The boyfriend went by the name Loke and happened to be the ginger that Gray had spotted on his first visit. Going to a community college and taking some course the details of which Gray did not know. The friend was Levi, who worked between the library and the second hand bookstore just down the street. She breathed books like most breathed air.

Then there was Erza. Apparently Natsu had taken her spot in the store when she became a police officer in the city. When on break and distance permitting she came here. In part for coffee and in part to check on Natsu. The boy feared her and Gray was quick to understand why. In or out of uniform she demanded respect, taking it with a steel gaze and stony fist.

Today was a Suday. Gray was free from school then but not work, so when he walked into the coffee shop he could feel the lingering ache of hard labour in his bones. The hot shower he had taken moments ago had helped ease the ache as well as wash the sweat from his body.

"Hi Gray," Lucy greeted as he took a seat at the bar. There were five other customers – a group of three and a couple. He knew none of them. "Just the usual?" The blond was already pouring up his drink, black with too-much sugar as she always said, having predicted his answer.

Gray just smirked. "Yeah, the usual. Where's Natsu?"

"I , uh, I don't know. He ran off a few seconds ago. When he saw you coming. But he seems to be back." She nodded to Gray's left. Her tone had stayed forever light so that anyone listening knew she was smiling. Gray was already looking away.

He was looking at Natsu with a scowl. The boy in question was winded, hunched over his own knees like he'd just run a marathon.

"What the hell are you doing, moron?" Gray shot.

Natsu frowned. "This is the thanks I get? Ungrateful bastard."

"You didn't do anything besides sweat. Why the hell would I thank you?"

"I did do something though." He pushed two tickets toward Gray, all smiles.

Gray picked them up, recognizing them as cinema tickets. "What are these for?"

"That new movie you said you wanted to see."

With his index and middle fingers Gray spread the tickets, wondering if his count before had been wrong. It wasn't, there were just two. "Why so many, or so little?"

"I want to see it too."

_It will look like we're on a date, _Gray mused. He shrugged off the idea, deciding that it wasn't such a bad thing, really. He looked down at the tickets, searching for the time which was scrawled roughly in one corner – by Natsu most likely. He'd known Gray would look here first. 10:00 PM. Which left almost four hours until showing.

"What're you planin' kid?" Rusty asked, peeking over Gray's shoulder. "Oh? A date? See. I told you them skirts would be chasin' you all over the place. With who?"

It was obvious that she hadn't heard much of the conversation, and Lucy was more than willing to give her an answer even though both boys were looking at her with warning in their eyes. "A man-date," she said simply.

The owner grinned with twinkling eyes, which darted between the two boys. The ring of the store's bell was the only thing to tear her attention away, and Natsu's who was made to serve the customer. Leaving Gray virtually alone with his coffee and tickets.

Time spent waiting was time spent sipping increasingly cold coffee and watching the two workers as they took turns ducking behind the counter. Lucy lingered more than Natsu so Gray could manage sparse conversations with her. The only thing the boys could manage was the occasional insult.

When left truly alone for any length of time Gray found that his gaze tracked Natsu as he drifted around the tiny shop. In the past month the boy had grown on him exponentially. His hot headed ways riled Gray to no end; it was why Lucy said they both hated each other and got along so well. Natsu's heated ways contrasted Gray's natural cool demeanour. Opposites attract. So Gray chalked his starring up to that and nothing more. What other reason could it be? Gray fancied women after all. Not men.

The shop closed at nine o'clock every night even though after seven the customers tended to thin out significantly. After closing it was Natsu's turn to put the mop to the floor. Rusty permitted few people to stay after hours and Gray seemed to be an honorary member of that list after becoming a studious coffee drinker. So he was permitted to sit and watch and point out every little spot missed until a mop was heaved his way.

Too long later the movie was over without a word being said between them. Gray could barely pay attention to the film for the presence of the other beside him. To Gray it had felt like an awkward first date. After high school he liked to think that he was above those pubescent notions. Especially for a guy that he didn't like, right?

Perhaps. Just perhaps. That was a lie.

/

"Natsu Dragneel. I've had it up to here!"

Gray watched from the corner of the bar with Lucy, unamused by the situation Natsu had dug for himself. He had just witnessed a customer threaten to sue over Natsu's misconduct. And he had the ground for it too, if they went to trial he'd win.

Natsu had only spilled the coffee near the man. It had splattered on his shoes but that wasn't the end of it. The man had threatened then. Natsu was the one who took it too far, verbally threatening the man and actually punching him when the customer had started recording the threats.

"Do you even know what this means?" She had herded Natsu into a nearby chair where he remained looking like a scolded puppy. Though Gray tried to remain apathetic he could not help but flinch with Natsu. "We just don't make that kinda money to pay off some rich maniac. And then you had to-" She growled out her frustration, grabbing at her hair.

"I'm sorry." Natsu started. He had said those words a thousand times and repetition had turned them dry.

"I know, boy, but that man ain't takin' your sorrys. That much was clear the first time you said it."

Rusty sighed. She sounded her age when she did that. Not a thing that happened often, but a struggling business did tend to age one slightly.

"If he does sue, or push _anything_ forward I don't think that I'll be able to keep you, boy. So, you might want to start looking into new places to live. Consider this your monthly notice."

Natsu blinked slowly. Neither person said anything for a long time. Not Natsu or Rusty, nor the two at the bar. A closed sign ensured that no customers walked in on the rugged situation. And after a long wait Natsu was the first to react, rising to his feet with a great heave.

"Tell him you fired me," he mumbled. "'nd maybe he won't sue."

"Does this mean he's quitting?" Lucy whispered. Her breath tickled Gray's ear with her closeness. "I thought he liked working here."

"He does. He just... He wants to protect her more than he wants to keep his job," he replied knowingly.

"Oh, Natsu..."

Rusty, opposing Lucy's sympathetic attitude, looked ready to hit the boy. Ready to disregard his plan with no mind to its effectiveness. With visibly great effort however, the owner managed to restrain herself. "Why don't we talk about this tomorrow. You take the day off."

Dejected, Natsu made tracks to the back of the shop, to the stairs, to his apartment. Lucy was the first to pull out of the atmosphere that he left behind, busing herself with cleaning a pristine counter. Rusty was quick to follow suit, taking a broom to the floor, attacking the wood in vicious strokes. And Gray, he was left to sit alone on the stool, fingering an empty mug. He didn't want to leave but he didn't wish to stay either. The atmosphere in the shop had quickly grown oppressive. This was obviously a private matter between the three staff members, why he'd been permitted to stay when all the other customers had left eluded him.

Appearing to catch the air of Gray's mood Rust Finch laid her broom on the counter and took the space in front of him. "I ain't hardly fit to play at being a psychiatrist, but," she started, "I reckon that I can try my hand at a few ailments. What's on your mind, son?"

Gray looked up to her, quickly burying his thoughts. "Nothing."

"I may be old but that don't make me either bit daft. So I'll ask again; what's eatin' at you?"

"I said it was nothing," he growled. An action he quickly regretted when a look of pure shock splayed out across Rusty's features. "Sorry."

"Well," she said with a _humph_, placing boney hands on bonier hips. "Does it have anythin' to do with our Natsu?"

"Stupid moron can't keep his head together," Gray grumbled. It may have been a front for all the other reasons he was troubled by Natsu and the idea of Natsu, but that didn't make it any less true.

Rusty nodded her head in agreement. "You can go tell him off if you like. Upstairs, second to the left."

He watched her as she shifted away to vanish behind her oaken office door. When the door had fit snugly into its frame he shifted his gaze from it to Lucy who hadn't said much of anything, then to the door that Natsu had vanished behind.

"Alright, I'm going." Picking himself up from the bar stool, Gray worked his way through the door and dodged quickly up the stairs. Upon reaching the door, however, he slowed, lingered. He didn't know what he'd find. But Gray was not a coward by any definition and he did not linger long.

Gray blinked as he entered and looked at where the floor was not. There was just _crap everywhere._ Hell, he didn't even think that someone on Natsu's skimpy salary could afford with much. It was not even an orderly mess. There was no designated corner for clothes, clean or dirty, and the garbage had not simply missed the can. It was very obvious that orderly was not an adjective that was welcome here.

The boy was found amongst his mess, sprawled out on his bed with both arms thrown behind his head, pink spikes cascading over them.

Gray carved a path through the mess to where Natsu lay, sulking. "Maybe instead of feeling sorry for yourself you could clean up this shit hole. I'm pretty damn sure that apartments are supposed to have floors."

"Fuck off, Gray." His tone was uncomfortably dead.

"You know. Instead-"

"I said fuck off."

He didn't yell; and somehow that made it worse. Instead he just flopped over on his side, twin elbows pressing harshly into the wall. Gray fell into an open space at the end of the bed. Then he lightly struck Natsu across the back of his head. The boy flinched but said nothing.

"I come all the way up here to try and comfort you and this is the thanks I get? Quit sulking like you're something special. People fuck up. It's called being human."

"Y'think I don't know that?" Natsu mumbled.

"Then get over it already," he returned. Mutely he thought, _easier said than done._ A sentiment Natsu echoed word for word. "It's done now. No going back. So what are you going to do?"

"Find a new place. A new job. Not many people hire high school drop outs."

"You dropped out of high school?"

"Yep."

The two sat in mutual silence for a while. The moment was spent with Gray thinking. Okay, he liked Natsu, he wasn't so moronic that he'd fruitlessly kid himself about that. But Natsu was moving away to wherever the work was, and that meant the two may not be able to see as much of each other. Not as much as Gray would like. Then there was a third option. Not that it was a good idea. But Gray had an extra bed in his house. There was no rent to pay as the house had been passed down from his parents so only food and bills had to be considered. Gray could easily feed himself so he was sure he'd have no problem heaving Natsu along until the man got work. That meant only one other thing had to be considered – whether or not he could stand it.

He looked at Natsu. Looked at all of him: at the muscles pulled tight under lightly tanned skin, at the baggy clothes that tumbled as waterfalls over those muscles. Looked at all of these things and decided _no, he couldn't_.

A deep preparing breath – he deemed it necessary – to get Gray started and he said, "If you need a place to stay I've got a spare room. Just... putting the offer out there."

He didn't look back as he picked his way over the rubble. But he could hear the creak of bed springs as Natsu rolled back, could feel the boy's gaze as it burrowed into his back.

"When can I move in?"

Gray smiled.

/

The week after Rusty found out that Natsu's idea prevailed, and Gray found himself heaving boxes up a flight of stairs.

Natsu had seemed to bounce back quickly enough, as the day after the man dropped the threat of charges he was out chasing down wanted signs and mailing resumes. He must have applied to half the restaurants in the city as well as a hardware store and the company Gray worked for. The day after that he started packing his things. Gray helped when he could, sweeping the floor once they found it as well as generally making the apartment look livable for Rusty to rent again.

"You're not going to have this place as messy as your last one," Gray barked down to the first floor.

"Yeah, yeah."

There was the steady thumping behind Gray as his, now, housemate began to mount the starts with the last of the boxes. When all boxes were stacked as a city along one wall Natsu collapsed on the bed. Doubtful that he was tired. The boxes weren't heavy as it was mostly clothes and an odd assortment of trinkets. However, the window was wide open and a cool autumn breeze was blowing in. Natsu's chest rose and fell peacefully.

Choosing to lounge against the door frame instead, Gray stole glances at Natsu through his lashes. The evening sun washed in through the window, playing across Natsu as he sprawled like a cat atop the sheets. He's thoughts turned to a week prier when he decided that no, he wouldn't be able to handle this. That proved to be true sooner rather than later.

Well, he had nothing to lose.

With a lurch he pulled himself out of his stance and in two long strides he was at the bedside. Natsu's eyes remained closed, even as Gray bent low enough to block the sun from spilling over him, throwing Natsu in shadow.

Even as Gray pressed his lips against Natsu's, his movements gentle as he closed around the other, his actions unconsciously timid. He could only take the lack of reaction as encouragement. His lips moved slowly, teeth sucking up the plush softness that were Natsu's lips, while he gathered up the lingering taste from their backs.

Then someone else's tongue started prying its way into his mouth, and someone else's teeth nipped and bit into wet flesh. Gray opened his eyes, not remembering closing them, and looked at Natsu. The other had eyes cracked barely open with a coy smile playing on his face, which was only broken when he said "Disappointed?"

"Not a bit," Gray chuckled, as Natsu hungrily searched for more, his strong hands tugging at the hem of Gray's pants to drag him fully onto the bed.

* * *

AN: A fic 100% based on a song by Les Friction. The link to which, along with all the other songs, will be in my Bio

Special thanks to MiyuTanemura who beta'd this and also ensured its completion. I may never write something this pleasant and bloodless again so she jumped on this.

Comments are much appreciated : )


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